Hand of fate ordeals figures9/22/2023 ![]() The supernatural is omnipresent in the mythical part, usually in the form of beasts, dragons or demons who threaten mankind’s attempts to establish an orderly society. The Zamyad Yasht, for instance, tells the story of the divine grace or charisma (farr, khwarnah), possessed by the deity, prophets and great heroes of Iranian myth, which is the vital element of kingship in the Shahnameh. Much of the worldview of the Shahnameh reflects ancient sources of Indo-Iranian (Aryan) origin, preserved in the Avesta, the scriptures of Zoroastrianism that are at least partly contemporary with the prophet Zarathustra (fl. Ferdowsi treated the creation of the world in Zoroastrian terms and, unlike his contemporaries, made no attempt to integrate the Islamic version of the creation as recorded in the Qur’an. The mythological section of the Shahnameh, by far the shortest, is essentially a cosmogony. The historical part begins with the fall of the Achaemenid dynasty upon the conquest of Iran by Alexander the Great c.330 BC and ends with the collapse of the Sasanian Empire in the wake of the Arab invasions of the early seventh century. The borderline between the mythical and legendary sections is porous. ![]() The mythical part opens with the creation of the world. The Shahnameh is commonly divided into three sections: myths, legends and history. As one of the last representatives of the old Iranian aristocracy, Ferdowsi was trapped between his traditional values and the new norms of a changing society, which combined the relative social egalitarianism of Islam with a more restrictive attitude towards women’s freedom of choice and action. In both cases the women achieved their goals, regardless of their partners’ wishes, and deserved no punishment in the poet’s view. Likewise, Manizheh, daughter of the ruler of Turan, Iran’s mortal enemy, ordered the Iranian knight Bizhan with whom she had fallen in love to be drugged and brought to her palace apartments, though their liaison eventually saw him imprisoned in a pit. Tahmineh, the beautiful daughter of the king of Samangan, came to the hero Rostam, who was staying the night in her father’s castle, and offered herself as a mother for his child. On the other hand, Ferdowsi maintained that women of royal descent had equal rights with men when it came to matters of the heart. The union of a prince and a slave girl was, according to the Shahnameh’s social outlook, as absurd as Azadeh’s name, meaning ‘free, noble’. Azadeh was a fine musician, but socially inferior – she was a slave, while Bahram Gur was to become the Sasanian king Bahram V, celebrated in literature and art as one of the last epic heroes. A good example is the story of Bahram Gur who cruelly punished his beloved, Azadeh, for her audacity. The various roles of women in the Shahnameh are indicative of Ferdowsi’s views on social order. ![]() However, they also find time for sports, games and romance ![]() Ferdowsi’s kings and heroes are constantly involved in battles, hunts and court receptions – the feasting and fighting, bazm u razm – which were key elements of the warrior code and the pastimes of the ruling elite. It covers the reign of fifty kings, from the first, Kiyumars, down to the ill-fated Yazdegerd, murdered as he fled from the advancing Arabs. The Shahnameh is essentially a chronicle of kings, with the larger sections divided according to the coronations and deaths of individual monarchs. They reflect both long-standing traditions and topical realities. Its stories of the rise and fall of great dynasties, the disputes between kings and heroes, and the conflicts between fathers and sons treat man’s struggles against nature, fate and his own conscience. Links will open in a new window or tab.The Shahnameh’s universal themes had struck a resonant chord in the hearts and minds of unfolding generations. (Links will open in a new window or tab) Solo ideas and discussionsĪ selection of posts specifically about solo gameplay or solo variantsĪ selection of files from BoardGameGeek. The forums at BoardGameGeek often have good discussions about gameplay.We have selected some of the best links below. ![]()
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